Many of us have different role models ranging from, actors, artists, public figures etc. People whose type of life influences the way we talk, dress and think. Paul while speaking to the Thessalonians thanked them for taking the Lord as their role model after hearing the word of God which says that to love God and our neighbour is the greatest commandment and also after observing the way Paul lived amongst them.
Looking at the life of Jesus, one would see that it is full of love, mercy, healing and compassion. So, to take Him as your role model is to live in deep communion with God, to love our neighbour, to remove any form of oppression and accept all as one. Saint Theresa once said,” Take the Lord as the Role Model in word, thoughts and deeds and you will certainly live in love” Consequently, to take the Lord as our role model is to support the good of the other person and not plan evil against him/her.
Sometimes we come to people with bad intentions. We flatter them and sing their praises just to get what we want instead of being straightforward with them like the Lord always was with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Let us, therefore, quit all this double game and free our hearts from dislike and do things only from the depth and purity of our hearts. Judging from the passages in the bible, it is obvious that the Pharisees never at any point in time came to listen to Jesus because they believed in His word rather their presence was only for their own interest and also to entrap Him unlike in the case of the Thessalonians who were appreciated by Paul because they came to listen to the word of God and were positively influenced.
So, who is your role model, is Jesus your role model ? If indeed He is and you truly want to change your life then, the word of God should be your guide. We should be ready to learn from the word of God, how to live in love and encourage one another and not plan to bring others down. For us to successfully deal with issues and problems from people, we really need to take Jesus as our role model. When we do this, our lives will change and like the Thessalonians, we will become a light to others and a source of inspiration and change to the poor. We will no more act rashly when we find ourselves in a tough situation but , we will be able to handle the situation with wisdom, tolerance and understanding. Therefore, as leaders in society, community and churches, take the Lord Jesus as your role model so that with love, you will live to save and lessen the sufferings of the people as He does.
Taking the Lord as your role model will remove the evil of envy and unhappiness when others succeed or when they share their testimonies. Be happy for them and be transparent. Just as the Thessalonians in the bible, became role models and exemplars of the gospel to Macedonia and Achaia, let us live lives worthy of emulation and be worthy of imitation.
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